Cosmetic Chemists Corner

What is the real impact of the beauty industry on the environment?

It is easy to reduce this topic to simple slogans, but cosmetic sustainability is more complicated than “natural is good” and “synthetic is bad.”

The environmental impact of beauty products can come from raw material sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, shipping, water use, consumer habits, and what happens after the product is used.

As formulators, the goal should not be chasing trendy claims. It should be making better decisions based on evidence, performance, safety, and realistic sustainability tradeoffs.

Better beauty starts with better questions.

Working with a contract manufacturer can be a great way to scale a cosmetic product, but it is not a magic shortcut.

You still need to understand your formula, your specifications, your testing requirements, your packaging, your claims, and what you are actually asking the manufacturer to make.

A good contract manufacturer can help with production, sourcing, batching, filling, and scale-up. But they are not there to read your mind or fix an unclear product brief.

Before you reach out, get clear on the product type, target cost, batch size, ingredient restrictions, packaging format, claims, and testing expectations.

The better your brief, the better your outcome.

Is the information you find online about cosmetic products accurate?

Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no. And sometimes it is technically true but missing enough context to be misleading. Some sellers take pretty big liberties with the 1% line for example.

Product information online can come from brands, retailers, influencers, reviews, ingredient databases, AI summaries, and random people confidently repeating things they heard somewhere else. The problem is not that all of it is wrong. The problem is that it is often incomplete.

A good formulator learns to ask better questions.

Who is the source or the seller?
Are they explaining the chemistry, or just making a claim?
Is the information about the ingredient, the finished product, or a marketing story?

Online information can be useful, but it should not replace cosmetic science, testing, and a little healthy skepticism.

What is the continuous phase in an emulsion?

If you work with creams or lotions, this is one of those foundational concepts you should understand.

The continuous phase is the phase that forms the surrounding medium of the emulsion. In an oil-in-water emulsion, water is the continuous phase and oil is the dispersed phase. In a water-in-oil emulsion, oil is the continuous phase and water is the dispersed phase.

This matters because the continuous phase has a big impact on product feel, performance, dilution behavior, and how the formula behaves overall.

A lot of formulation gets easier when you stop memorizing terms and start understanding what they actually mean.

🙋🏼‍♀️ Where do you find starting formulas for cosmetics?

Starting formulas can be useful, but they are not magic recipes. They are best used as learning tools, comparison points, and starting places for your own formulation work.

The key is learning how to evaluate the formula, not just copying it.

A starting formula should help you think like a formulator, not replace the thinking.

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A cosmetic active does not magically dive into your skin and “fix” everything. For an ingredient to have an effect, it has to survive the formula, remain stable on the shelf, be available when applied, and reach the right place in or on the skin at a meaningful level.

That is why formulation matters.

The same active ingredient can perform differently depending on the product base, pH, packaging, concentration, delivery system, and how the finished formula is used.

So when you see a skin care product built around a trendy active, the better question is not just “Does this ingredient work?”

It is:

Can this formula deliver that ingredient in a way that actually matters?

AI is not replacing cosmetic chemists, but cosmetic chemists who learn how to use AI will have an advantage.
And soon, it will become an expectation to understand these tools.

You can hate the tool, or you can learn where it helps, where it fails, and how to stay smarter than the chatbot.

Science still matters. Judgment still matters. Formulation experience definitely still matters.

How much panthenol do you actually need in a formula?

Probably less than Instagram would have you believe.

Perry has always had strong opinions about panthenol in rinse-off products.

Share with any of your panthenol advocates 😜

We’ve been having a little fun with AI and short form and informative content. Check us out on YouTube for more videos like this.

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A quick recap of Perry’s visit to Hong Kong to speak about formulating in the 21st century at the Beauty Ingredients & Formulation Asia conference.